Two Google class actions claim Nest cameras scan passersby’s faces without consent

Google class action lawsuits overview:

• Who: Two separate class action lawsuits were filed against Google LLC. 
• Why: The plaintiffs claim Google’s Nest cameras scan people’s faces without consent.
• Where: The class action lawsuits were filed in California federal court.

Two separate class action lawsuits were filed against Google, alleging its Nest security cameras and doorbells systematically collect, store and use the facial recognition data of people who never consented to having their faces scanned.

The plaintiffs claim the “Familiar Face” detection feature offered by Google’s Nest security cameras and doorbells uses artificial intelligence to scan the face of every person who appears in the camera’s field of view, capturing an image and creating a mathematical template of their facial geometry.

The complaint argues that while Google Nest camera owners activate the feature, bystanders whose faces are scanned cannot consent to the process. 

Plaintiff Alexis Fennessy and seven others, all Virginia residents, claim Google’s “Familiar Face” feature scanned their faces without consent as they walked through neighborhoods where Nest devices were installed, despite never having purchased, registered or used any Google Nest product themselves. 

They claim violations of the Virginia Computer Crimes Act and a Virginia code barring the unauthorized use of a person’s picture for purposes of trade.

Meanwhile, plaintiff Barbara Trevino, a California resident, claims Google’s devices captured her biometric data while she walked through her neighborhood for exercise. She alleges intrusion upon seclusion and violation of California’s constitutional right to privacy.

Fennessy seeks to represent a nationwide class and Virginia subclass of everyone whose data was collected without written consent, while Trevino seeks a similarly defined nationwide class and California subclass.

Google allegedly disabled face scanning in Illinois

The plaintiffs in both lawsuits argue Google knows it is acting unlawfully, as it has disabled the feature in Illinois, which has a specific biometric privacy statute allowing private citizens to sue for unconsented collection of facial recognition data.

Despite regulatory actions in other states, Google continues to scan bystanders’ faces without consent and without disclosure, according to the Google class action lawsuit. 

“In every other state, including states where regulators have taken enforcement actions against Google for this very conduct, Google has made the calculated decision to continue scanning bystanders’ faces without consent and without disclosure,” the Fennessey class action says. 

Fennessy further argues that the Texas attorney general reached a $1.375 billion settlement with Google in May 2025 over Nest cameras capturing Texans’ biometric data without consent. 

The plaintiffs demand a jury trial and request declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of compensatory and punitive damages for themselves and all class members. 

In another class action lawsuit filed in December 2025, a consumer claims the tech giant failed to warn Google Drive subscribers that their stored files could be automatically deleted without warning. 

Has a Google Nest camera scanned your face without your consent? Let us know in the comments.

Fennessy, et al. are represented by M. Anderson Berry and Gregory Haroutunian of Emery Reddy P.C. and Israel David, Adam M. Harris and Mark A. Cianci of Israel David LLC. Trevino is represented by Tina Wolfson, Robert Ahdoot, Theodore W. Maya and Lisa Cintron of Ahdoot & Wolfson P.C. 

The Google class action lawsuits are Fennessy, et al. v. Google LLC, Case No. 5:26-cv-06534 and Trevino v. Google LLC, Case No. 5:26-cv-06694, both in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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